World War I had an incredibly positive effect on the years after the war, especially the 1920’s. The time period was nicknamed the “Roaring Twenties” because of the prosperity felt when the soldiers returned home. During this time people “lived above their means” and social changes involving women occurred as well. The war changed the economic situation, the level of interactions and associations with other countries, and it affected the corruptness of the government.
After President Woodrow Wilson decided that America wasn’t going to stay neutral in the war, America became one of the, if not the richest nations in the world. The gross national product went from $60 billion $100 billion, nearly doubling in the 1920’s alone (Roaring 20’s). Unions were formed in the 1800’s, and in the Roaring 20’s they flared up again, this is because the workers weren’t being paid enough to match the prices that increased after the war.

During the Roaring Twenties America tied to stay away from becoming allies with other countries, which was a little abnormal for America (Roaring 20’s). This was actually following the advice that the 1st president George Washington gave in his farewell speech. President Woodrow Wilson himself created the League of Nations to prevent further war, but the US didn’t even join (Roaring 20’s).During this time period they had difficulties with immigration. They had the Red Scare, when they thought that immigrants who were communist would try to form a communist government in America (Roaring 20’s). They even took steps to create the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 which limited the number of immigrants that were allowed each year into the states (1920’s Politics). During the roaring 20’s America was so against immigration to a point that they were paranoid. These suspicions lead to the Palmer Raids. The Palmer Raids involved 4,000 people were arrested and some were deported for being suspected of being a communist (Roaring 20’s).

During the Roaring Twenties there were two presidents who took office. The first was Warren Harding, he was in office from 1921-1923, Harding is said to have the most corrupt presidency of all time because there were several scandals that took place during his term. The second president of the Roaring Twenties was Calvin Coolidge, he served from 1923-1929, and he was a supporter of American business (1920’s Politics). Coolidge raised tariffs on goods that were exported to America, so that Americans would be “forced” to buy products within the country. He also wanted to expand the economy, and he was quite successful because America was the largest economic nation throughout the 1920’s. People just wanted to end labor issues, racial issues, and immigration. By this point in time everybody wanted to stop war and stop the constant attempts at reform.

America got a pretty good deal coming out of World War I. They had a boost in the economy, they pretty much stayed as far away as possible from other countries, and they had some attempts and successes at political change. While they did have a few hiccups along the way, President Wilson made a choice that ultimately benefited America, and he made the 1920’s the Roaring Twenties.

Works Cited
"1920's Politics." The 1920's. 1930-30, 2005. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. <http://www.1920-30.com/politics/>.

"The Roaring 20's"" Tellurian Networks. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. <http://users.tellurian.net/vanorden/n.roaring20s.07.08.htm>.